Phantom Limb
by Blue-eyesThropp
Summary: Remember Nessa's little speech about phantom limbs? I've always wondered how the story to that would go- her meeting the soldier etc. A little oneshot about Nessa's arm-thingy. Genre hurt/ comfort because I think it fits best, or?


**Phantom Limbs**

**Author's Note: There just aren't enough book-verse Nessa fanfics. I know the ending is a little strange, but Elphaba's sentence, 'Phantom limbs, well I am pleased for you…' just got me thinking that she didn't believe Nessa's story. Maybe I'm just taking it the wrong way, but does it matter? Anyhow, this is a fanfiction set to the Phantom Limb/ Phantom soul quote. No, I have not read wicked, but I found this quote on some internet site and thought it was so Nelphie (that's Nessa and Elphie put together) and I just HAD to write a fanfic. Hope you like it. It's rather short and maybe a little rushed. Please review. And constructive criticism is always welcome. I'm looking for ways to improve, so to every reader, please review. And read my other stuff too.  
>PS.: When We Were Very Young is coming on, and the next chapter is <strong>**done.  
>PPS.: I have almost no clue what I'm writing about, as I have never read Wicked, only seen the musical. Sadly. <strong>

**Love: Blue-eyes Thropp **

It was a Tuesday afternoon. The sun shone brightly in the sky, the clouds were perfectly still. Everything was peaceful. It was quite the fitting day for a prayer service. Beneath the temple of The Unnamed god, a small crowd was collected and was silently praying. Amongst them: Nessarose Thropp and her Nanny, keeping a tight hold on the girl, so that she wouldn't fall over. The prayer ended and the whole crowd rose in unison. The service was over. Nanny helped Nessarose to her feet, placed a hand between the girl's shoulder blades and propelled her forwards. An elderly man passed the couple so quickly that Nanny had no time to hold Nessa back, and she collided with the man. They both fell.

'Good sir, can you not be slightly more considerate? Can't you see that this child has… that this child is probably less balanced than you? Can you not see that two people are walking here? Can you not be more careful? To think…' but the man was helping Nessarose to her feet already, and Nanny paused her rant long enough to see him extend his hand-his only hand- to Nessa, and see her kiss the hand back. This was as well a substitute for shaking hands for Nessa, and a sign of affection and gratitude in her faith. Nanny was stunned that Nessa should take to anyone so quickly.

'I apologize. I was running from questions. An injured Quadling war survivor is never safe. Don't people just ask far too many prying questions nowadays? Can one not leave a one-armed soldier alone once in a while?' He extended his hand to Nanny, and she saw that his other arm was completely missing. Cleaner cut than Nessa's, so she figured it had been surgically removed.

'Ziki Domol.' he said.

Nanny did not take his hand but nodded curtly at him.

'Nanny, may I walk with this man on my own please? That is, if you aren't busy, Sir Domol.' Ziki shook his head. Nessa looked hopefully at Nanny, who hesitated for a moment, but then nodded. _Let the child be free_ she thought to herself. Nessarose smiled at her and motioned with her head for Ziki to follow her into the woods. He did so, and they left Nanny on her own, observing Nessa's insecure balance and wondering what she would possibly want with such a man. She turned to a lady who had started talking to her. It was an old friend of hers, and soon they were lost in conversation.

Nessarose and Ziki walked for a while in silence. It was not until an unseen root in the forest floor brought Nessa to a fall, and Ziki managed to only just catch her that they exchanged words.

'I thank you,' said Nessa, but she didn't look him in the eye. The truth was, she was embarrassed that an elderly, one armed man should still be able to balance better than her, and even help her.

'Don't mention it,' he said airily, 'I suppose we have a bond. It was reflex to do that. We are meant to stand up for each other. '

Nessa knew what bond he was referring to.

'May I ask you something?' said Nessa, leaning heavily against a tree.

'Well, young lady, it was just that I that I was running from when we collided, but as it is only you, and I suppose you would not ask the same prying questions as the people I was running from… you may.' He had put on a voice that was possibly meant to sound proper, but it did not work well for him, and instead came out rather nasal, and both of them laughed.

'It is, I apologize already, regarding the war. I mean to ask you how your injury came about. For I thought it was a political war, not an actual one, where people are fatally hurt and maimed. I personally thought the politics and religious beliefs of certain Quadling races were not approved of by the other countries of Oz, and the politicians as well as religious leaders fought only verbally. Would you care to answer?'

Ziki smiled, 'Yes, indeed, that is the version that is told throughout the lands. It is told like this so that the whole subject may be forgotten quickly, for Munchkinland is very ashamed of raging war. I believe that you had not been born when the Quadling war started, or when it ended only two years later. No, but it is true what I tell you, that it was an actual war, with injuries and killings, and that there are no two ways about it. I personally was attacked by a mob of very restless and hate filled Qudalings- I shall go into no further detail about them. They only hurt my arm, thank the Unnamed God, but it was enough. '

'I am very sorry,'

'You needn't be. It seems that you are also…well, we are in one aspect rather similar, aren't we?'

'I suppose. But I've always been this way. We are, in that aspect of this aspect, rather different.' She smiled at him.

'And I have a phantom limb' Ziki said casually.

'You do?' asked Nessa. Of course she had always wanted. Maybe a phantom one could be enough of a substitute.

When Nanny and Nessa arrived home, Nessa proposed the idea to Nanny. Only hesitantly did she agree, for she knew that it hurt Nessa to even have her shoulders touched, but she did agree eventually, to massage her little shoulder knobs to help the phantom arm develop.

As it was late and Nessa wished to retire to her bed chambers, they tried it at once. Nessa perched on a stool while Nanny removed her dress. Then Nanny gently fingered the spot where Nessa's arm should have grown. Nessa winced, but she insisted that Nanny press harder. The soldier had slapped his arm so hard blood had flown, after all. As Nanny massaged, Nessa bit her bottom lip and tried not to cry. Her arm, or what should have been one, was very tender. In the end, however, both of them gave in, and Nanny helped Nessa into her nightgown. As Nanny tucked her into bed, she thought, 'Poor, scarred child'.

For months they repeated their evening ritual, and each time it hurt Nessa less, therefore a tingling sensation began spreading across her shoulder and downwards. After several months of trying, finally, she felt something, as though her arm were lengthening.

Nessa looked down, and was disappointed to see the there was no physical arm growing. For some reason, she had hoped there would be. But she could nevertheless feel a certain something. This certain something was her phantom limb, of course, and though it only reached down to what she guessed was an elbow, a smile spread over her face, and she began to cry at the same time. She was overjoyed, for she could now feel what it would be like to have arms. Still she cried. Years and years of being armless, and now having just the feeling of one released too many emotions for her to cope with, and Nanny took her softly into her pudgy arms, and Nessa wrapped her upper body around Nanny as much as was possible.

'There poppet, it's working, isn't it? There there sweetheart.' And the elderly lady rocked the young woman gently from side to side, almost as though she were a baby.

Many months later, Elphaba came to Colwen Grounds. When she heard the story, she would not believe it at first. She figured Nessa had only made up the story to get her to join her unionist faith. And she was never to find out that Nessa's story had been true, for the next time Elphaba saw her little sister, she was under a house, and a pair of feet clad in only socks was all that was left of Nessarose. How could Elphaba have known that, before the house landed, the last thing that Nessarose felt were arms, right down to the fingers? How could she have known?


End file.
